Artificial arm



Oct- 20,

F. A. KENNEY ARTIFICIAL ARM 2 SheetS-Shdet 1 "Filed Nov. 19. 1923 F. A. KENNEY ARTIFICIAL ARM Filed Nov. 19. 1923 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 l0 [Wad/r A. Kenna.

Patented Get. 20, 1925.

UNITED Sm-res T ENT *orFic E;

FRANK AL KENNEY, 0F DENVER; eorbaiino;

AnTIr-Iomn "ARM.

Application fiIedNovemt-er 19,1923. Serial nofmsso.

To all whom it mag concern:

Be it known that' I, FRANK 'Aj "liENNl lY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Denver, .the city and county of Denver, and

State of Colorado, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Artificial Arms; and I do declare the following to'be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, suchas will enable'others skilled chanical construction than those where the wearer has the armnmpu'tated between the elbow and the wrist. In the'latter case the wearer can 'flex thearm by his own efforts, whilein the former case, mechanical means must be provided for "flexing the arm. \Vhere the artificial arm is providedwith mechanical flexing means, it'is also necessary to provide locking means for retaining the arm in flexed position and for permitting the arm'tostraighten out at any time. Where the arm. is provided with a hook that can be opened and closed, it is also necessary to provide means that will-prevent the: arm from bending while the hook is being opened. p g

It isthe object of the present invention toj produ ce an artificial arm Which shall embody the invention described and claimed in my above-referred't 'ip atentQand which,

" in addition thereto,fshall also have the above-referred to mechanisms for adapting itfor use by persons whose arms areampue tated abovethe elbow, I V In order better and more clearlyjtodescribe my invention, I shall have reference to the accompanying drawings in which' my im aroved arm is illustrated in its present preferred'form,"and in which: I

Fig. l is a front View of'a 'man' equipped withmy improvedfartificial arm;

Fig. 2 is'a re'arview showing the arm in'position across the backso as to show the hinge nearest the body;

Fig. ,8 is a side view "showingthe arm extended for opening the'hook;

' Fig. 4 is a rear view showing the arm in extended position; t

Figf 5 is a view taken in the direction of arrow 5 in Fig. l'and shows a portion of the arm on a larger scale;

Fig. 6 is a sectiontaken on'line6=6, Fig. l'

Fig. 7 is a section'tak'en on line-77,

Fig. 8 is a view looking inthe direction of arrow 8, Fig. 4:; V v 1 Fig. 9 is a' section, through the-outside hinge, taken on line-9-9,. Figs. 5 and 6;

Fig. 10 is 'a section, through the inside hinge, taken on line'10.1Q,Figs. Tarid 8;

Fig. ll 'is a section through the cam; t

Fig. 12 is ax'side "elevation showing the ratchet member that is secured to the cam; Fig. 13 is a side elevation of the operating pulley, looking inthe' direction of arrows 13 13, Fig. 10;" and I Fig. 14 is a View ofthe operatingpulley taken along line 14"11, Fig. 10.

The .same reference characters will be used to designate the same parts throughout the several views.

As mentioned in the foregoing portion of this specification, this invention relates to an artificial arm to be used by persons having their arm amputated above the' elbow and this should-be borne in" mind while reading the following description. "The arm is formed'in two "sections A andB, the former of'whi'ch willg'be referred toasthe upper arm section and'the latter the forearm section. These sections are connected by means of hinges thatwill' be described in detail in following portions of the 'specification.

In order to hold the ar in place so that it can be freely moved into any position and "The upper arm, section A, is'h'ollowand receives th e stub of the arm in the usual way.

at the' s ame time beprevented fromabeing' V pulled off, I: employ th Tharness described and claimed by me in my patent above identified. This harness, briefly described, consists of aweb which has one end, indicated' by numeral 1, terminating at the back of the shoulder and the othere'nd, indicated numeral2', terminatingonthe front near. I

the armpit. The web crosses at the back and loops around the shoulder on the opposite side of the body from that to which the arm is secured. A cord 3 is secured to end 1 and passes through loop 4 on section A. It then extends upwardly under the arm, passes through the loop 5, secured to end 2, and thence downwardly and is anchored to section A at point 6. The advantages of this way of securing an artificial arm in place is fully explained in my former patent. The forearm section 13 is provided with a hook 7 that has a movable jaw 8. This hook is normally held in closed position by elastic bands or other means, not shown. For the purpose of opening the jaws of the hook, I connect a cord 9 t the end of the lever 10. This cord has its other end connected to the web at point 11 and has its effective length adjusted by means ofthe buckle 12. Cord 9 passes through a loop 13 on section A and also through another loop 14, the purpose of which will be hereinafter explained. hen the arm is extended, cord 9 will be put under tension and will open the jaws of hook 7. Since the wearer has his arm amputated above the elbow, he has nothing with which to control the forearm section B and since sections A and B are hinged at the elbow, it is evident that any tension in cord 9 will tend to flex thearm at the elbow joint and thus prevent the jaws of the hook from being opened. I have therefore provided means that will operate to lock the sections A and 13 against movement about the elbow hinge as soon as the cord 9 is tensioned. Referring now more particularly to Figs. 5, 6 and 9, it will be noted that I have secured to the upper end of section B a hinge portion, which cooperates with another portion 16 secured to the lower end of section A. pin 17 passes through parts and 16 and also through an opening in the lower end of part 18. Th parts just described form the outer hinge. Part 18 has its lower end curved in the arc of a circle and is provided with a'number ofnotches 19. A pawl 20 is non-rotatably secured to a pintle 21, which extends outwardly through the hinge member 15 and has a lever 22 non-rotatably connected to the outer end thereof so that the lever 22 and the pawl 20 will move as a unitary structure. A spring 23 is secured to the pawl and is tensioned to hold th pawl in inoperative position in the manner shown in Fig.6. The loop 14 is connected to the end of the lever 22- and when cord 9 is put under tension it turns lever 22 and pawl 20 about their common pivotand moves the pawl into operative engagement with the teeth or notches 19 and locks sections A and B against relativ movement. As soon as the tension in cord 9 subsides, the spring 23 moves the pawl t0 inoperative position.-

From the above description, it will now be apparent that when the wearer of the artificial arm wants to open the jaws of the hook, he merely extends the arm so as to tension cord 9. As soon as cord 9 is tensioned, it will mov pawl 20 into locking position and prevent sections A and B from turning about the elbow, after which the jaws will open.

Since the wearer has no forearm portion, he has no means of flexing the arm sections. I have therefore provided the following de scribed means for this purpose. A cord 24 has one end secured to end 1 of the harness web. This cord passes through an opening 25 in section A over a pulley 26 secured to the front side of section A near the bottom thereof, and has its other end fastened to section B at point 27' (Fig. 6). It is evident that when cord 24 is put under tension, it will tend to bend the arm at the elbow and the necessary tension for this can be obtained by a suitable movement of the arm.

t is often desirable to maintain the arm sections in flexed position so that a coat may be carried on the forearm or for any other purpose. In order to lock the arm in flexed position, I have provided the following means:

The inside hinge shown in section in Fig. 10 has one member 28 (similar to member 15) secured to the outside of the forearm near the elbow portion thereof and has a cooperating hinge portion 29 secured to the lower end of section A. Sections 28 and 29 are joined by a pin 30. A section 31 (similar to 18) is secured to the inside of section A and has an opening for the reception of pin The lower end 32 of part 31 is provided with a plurality of ratchet teeth 33 (Fig. 7 A pawl 34 is A pivoted at 35 and has a spring 36 secured to its free end and tensioned to move the pawl into engagement with the ratchet teeth 33. An eccentric cam 37 is pivotally mounted in the manner indicated in Fig. 9. When the cam is in the position shown in -Fig. 7, it permits the pawl 34 to become effective and to engage the ratchet teeth 33,

but when the cam is turned 180 degrees, it 1 holds the pawl in inoperative position. The cam has two diametrically opposed ratchet teeth 38, which cooperate with the springactuated pawl 39, to prevent rotation of the cam in one direction. The cam has fastened thereto a ratchet plate 40 provided with diametrically opposed notches 41. The connection 42 between'the pawl and the cam is hollow for the reception of the bolt 43. For the purpose of ratcheting the cam and for rotating it into operative and inoperative position, I have provided a ratchet pulley 44, which has! a circular recess 45 on its inner side for the reception of ratchet disk 40. Within recess 45 are a pair of 1 diametrically o pq's'ea teeth 46 which, engage one edge of notches 41' and rotate the cam 37 when the p'ulleyrotatesun one direc-- tion, but which slide over "the disk 40 when the pulley rotates in the oppositedirec'tion.

stops in the casing '47 for thepurpose of limitingthe rotation of the pulley to epproximately 180 degrees. 7 one end secured to the pulley and the other "the harness web. 'WVhen the' arm is placed to the original ;position. pulls oncord 48; renders the pawl 84 alter in 48 is tensioned, pulley 44: is rotated inone direction andthe cam 37 is, turned. Whenshown in Fig; 7 then the first pull on cord 48 will rotate the cam 180 "degrees andmove the pawlii l .to inoperative position. The

secondpull on'cord 48 will return the cam Thus alternate nately operative and inoperative.

Letus. now assume that the arm is hanging straightdown bythe wearers side and that he desires to bend the'same. He" will "move the'arm so as totensi'on cord 24. This 7 will flex the arm, which will be held in flexed position by .pawl 34. WVhen thewearer desires-to" straighten the arm, he will move it so as tqtension cord 48, thereby rotating'cam' 37 and moving pawl 34: to inoperative position, when the arm sections are free to move into straightened position. The arm can now be bent and straightened at will and can be locked in bent position by the simple expedient of putting tension in cord 48.

hen the amputation is below the elbow, an arrangement comprising cords 24 and 48 may be used to operate the hand at the wrist, substantially the same means being employed.

here the wearer has a short stub of his forearm, which, however, is not long enough to serve as a means for flexing the artificial arm, the cord 24 may be made double on the inside of the arm sections and pass on the sides of the arm.

From the above description, it is apparent that I have produced an arm having means to open a hook and to lock the same against flexure. It has also means for flexing the arm and for looking it in flexed position, together with means for rendering said lock inoperative.

Having now described my invention, what I claim as new is:

1. An artificial arm comprising, in combination, a section adapted to be secured to A cord 48 has end secured to .the end 2' of such a position that cordthe upper arm, a' forearm section hingedly 'fofflexure'to any-extent desired,-and resil- A housing 47 encloses thepulley144. A stop 49 on the pulley cooperates with suitable bination, a section adapted to be secured to the upper arm, aforearm section hingedly connected thereto, means for securingfthe arm to the wearer, means for flexing the arm, separate means forholding the arm in flexed position, and mea'ns comprisinga cam for alternately rendering said holding meansoperative and inoperative;

3. An artificial arm comprising, incombinatioin a section adapted to be secured to the upper arm, a forearm section hingedly connected thereto, means for securing the arm'to the wearer,,means tor iflexing'the arm, separate means for hold ng the arm .in'flexed position, and'means 'comprising a cam't'or alternately rendering'said holding operative and inoperative, 'fsaid means comprising a step by step mechanism. V

4. An artificial arm comprising, -in'combination, a section adapted to, be'secii'redto the upper arm, a forearmxsection hingedly] connected thereto, means for securing the arm to the wearer,ahook carried-"by the forearm section, means for "opening said hook, and means operatedby said opening means-for limiting the "extent ofuexure of said arm sections. s

5. "An. artificial arnr comprising, in combination, a section adapted to be secured to the upper arm, a forearm section hingedly connected thereto, means for securing the arm to the wearer, a hook carried by the forearm section, means for opening said hook, means operated by said opening means for limiting the extent of flexture of said arm sections, and resilient means for rendering said flexing means inoperative.

6. An artificial arm comprising, in combination, a section adapted to be secured to the upper arm, a forearm section hingedly connected thereto, means for securing said arm to the wearer, means for flexing said arm, a hook member secured to the forearm section, means for opening said hook member, resilient means for closing said hook member, and means operated by the hook opening means for limiting the flexing of the arm.

7. An artificial arm compr1s1ng,1n comb1- nation, a section adapted to be secured to the means operated by the hook opening means for limiting'the flexing of the arm, and resilient means for normally holding said limiting means in inoperative posit-ion.

8 An artificial arm comprising, in combination, a section adapted to be secured to the upper arm, a forearm section hingedly connected thereto, means for securing said arm to the wearer, means for flexing said arm, a hook member secured to the forearm section, means for opening said hook member, resilient means for closing said hook member, means operated: by the hook opening means for limiting the flexing of the arm, means for holding said arm in flexed position, and means for rendering said holding means operative or inoperative at will.

9. An artificial arm comprising, in combination, a section adapted to be secured to the upper arm, a forearm section hingedly con nected thereto, a harness for securing the arm to the wearer, said harness comprising a strap enclosing the shoulder opposite from the arm, said strap crossing at the wearers back and having its ends terminating near the shoulder to which the arm is attached, means for flexing said arm, said means comprising a cord attached to one end of said harness near the artificial arm, means for holding! said arm in flexed position, and means for rendering said holding means operative or inoperative at will, said means comprising a cord having one end connected to the other end of said harness and the other end connected to a pawl and ratchet mechanism.

' 10. An artificial arm comprising, in combination, a section adapted to be secured to the upper arm, a forearm section hingedly connected thereto, a harness for securing the arm to the wearer, said harness comprising a. strap enclosing the shoulder opposite from the arm, said strap crossing at the wearers back and having its ends terminating near the shoulder to which the arm is attached, means for flexing said arm, said means comprising a cord attached to one end of said harness near the artificial arm, means for holding said arm in flexed position, means for rendering said holding means operative or inoperative at will, said means comprising a cord connected to the other end of said harness, a. hook carried by said forearm, resilient means for holding said hook closed, and means for locking said arm againstfiexure, said means also opening said hook.

11. An artificial arm comprising, in combination, a section adapted to be secured to the upper arm, a forearm section hingedly connected thereto, means comprising webbing for securing the arm to the wearer, means for flexing the arm by means of a cord attached to the webbing, at rear of shoulder next to the artificial arm, a hook, means for operating said hook from cord across the back attached to supporting harness at shoulder opposite artificial arm, and means for locking forearm in any position relative to the upper arm, said means comprising the means for operating hand or hook.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

' FRANK A. KENNEY. 

